Alloy Powder Solidification Purification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for preparing ultrafine metal powders face challenges such as low yield, high cost, complex processes, difficulty in achieving purity and fineness, and high energy consumption, with impurities like oxygen significantly affecting the properties of the powders.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the solidification of an alloy melt to form a metal material composed of endogenous alloy powder and a wrapping body, where the alloy powder has a higher melting point than the wrapping body, and the alloy powder is precipitated during solidification, allowing for the purification and solid solution treatment of the alloy powder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional liquid phase method is used to prepare ultrafine metal powder, then particle fineness is improved, but production cost increases and yield decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transition during solidification of alloy melt to generate ultrafine powder in situ. The alloy melt undergoes solidification transformation, forming dispersed powder particles within the matrix during the phase change process, achieving both fine particle size and high yield simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The alloy system self-organizes during solidification to automatically form dispersed powder particles within the matrix structure. The system uses its own solidification process to generate the desired ultrafine powder without requiring external processing steps, thereby improving both particle fineness and production efficiency
2Manufacturing precision
If mechanical pulverizing method is used to prepare ultrafine metal powder, then particle size is reduced, but powder purity and morphology control become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs solidification phase transition of alloy melt to form ultrafine powder particles in situ. During the solidification process, the alloy system naturally separates into dispersed powder phase and matrix phase, achieving precise particle size control and high purity without mechanical contamination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical pulverizing methods with a thermodynamic phase transition approach. Instead of using mechanical force to crush particles, the system uses controlled solidification to naturally form ultrafine particles, thereby maintaining powder purity and enabling better morphology control
3Manufacturing precision
If rotary electrode method or gas atomization method is used to prepare high-performance metal powder, then powder quality is improved, but energy consumption increases and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The alloy system performs self-organization during solidification to automatically form dispersed ultrafine powder particles within the matrix. This self-organizing process eliminates the need for high-energy external fields or complex equipment, achieving high-quality powder with minimal energy input
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of powder formation from complex high-energy processes and integrates it into the natural solidification process of the alloy. By taking out the powder generation function and embedding it in the solidification phase transition, the method achieves high-quality powder without the high energy consumption of rotary electrode or gas atomization methods
4Productivity
If air flow grinding method or hydrogenation dehydrogenation method is used for mass production, then production efficiency is improved, but selectivity for raw metal and alloy is too strong
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal solidification-based method that can process multiple types of alloy systems with different compositions. The approach is not limited to specific raw materials but can be applied broadly to various alloy melts, achieving both high productivity and wide material adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the universal phenomenon of solidification phase transition that occurs in all metallic systems. This phase transition mechanism is material-agnostic and can be applied to diverse alloy compositions, thereby achieving high production efficiency without strong selectivity constraints on raw materials
5Reliability
If impurity content in metal powder is controlled by controlling raw material purity and vacuum degree, then powder purity is improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts impurity elements during the solidification process through selective partitioning. Impurities are preferentially rejected into the liquid phase or concentrated in specific regions during solidification, allowing in situ purification without requiring high-purity raw materials or expensive vacuum processing
Solution Approach 2:
The alloy solidification system performs self-purification through the thermodynamic and kinetic processes inherent in phase transition. The system automatically separates and concentrates impurities during solidification, eliminating the need for external high-cost purification methods and enabling high-purity powder production at lower cost
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the production of high-purity alloy powders with improved purity and solid solution treatment, facilitating the preparation of high-purity metal powders from low-purity raw materials, reducing costs, and enhancing the properties of the final product.
Implementation Method 1
a method involving the solidification of an alloy melt to form a metal material composed of endogenous alloy powder and a wrapping body
Implementation Method 2
the alloy powder is precipitated during solidification, allowing for the purification and solid solution treatment of the alloy powder
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing a category of alloy powder and an application thereof. By selecting a suitable alloy system and melting initial alloy melt through low-purity raw materials, high-purity alloy powder, and matrix phase wrapping high-purity alloy powder are precipitated during the solidification process of the initial alloy melt, and the solid solution alloying of the high-purity alloy powder is achieved at the same time. Alloy powder can be obtained by removing the matrix phase wrapping the high-purity alloy powder; high-purity alloy powder can also be obtained by removing the matrix phase wrapping the high-purity alloy powder at an appropriate time. The method is simple and can prepare a variety of alloy powder materials with different morphology at nano-scale, sub-micron level, micron level, and even millimeter level.